Appointment Acknowledges Importance of Stewardship of God’s Creation
CONTACT: Naomi Frizzell, [email protected], +1.904.262.5202
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOSTON, MA 6 August 2012 – The Lausanne Movement has appointed a Lausanne Senior Associate for Creation Care. Rev. Edward R. Brown, Executive Director of Care of Creation, an environmental mission organization based in Madison, WI, accepted the position in June at the Lausanne International Leadership meeting.
Rev. S. Douglas Birdsall, Executive Chairman of The Lausanne Movement, says, “Ed’s appointment reflects our deep commitment as a Movement to the stewardship of God’s creation and our commitment to seek ways to work together as the global Body of Christ to alleviate the destruction, waste and pollution of earth’s resources.” He adds, “We see this in terms of the Creation Mandate, and in terms of God’s comprehensive redemptive mission, which is cosmic in scope. Our commitment to world evangelization is centered on the salvific work of Christ on the cross. Our commitment to the whole gospel and the whole world also embraces our stewardship of creation as an expression of our love and a demonstration of our obedience to all that Christ has commanded.”
Ed calls the appointment personally satisfying and, “highly significant for the worldwide evangelical Creation Care movement.” He adds that to his knowledge, “this is the first time an international evangelical organization has recognized the importance of creation care and of the need for the church to respond to environmental concerns in such a meaningful way.” Ed emphasizes that he, “looks forward to working with church leaders from around the world as we seek to confront a crisis that affects people on every continent and in every nation.”
Dr. David Bennett, Lausanne Chief Collaboration Officer and Teaching Pastor, says, “Ed Brown is well known for his pioneering work in advocating the involvement of evangelical leaders worldwide in the care of God’s creation as an expression of witness as well as a response of faithful stewardship. Ed brings passion and energy as well as rich experience and biblical insight to the work of building a global network of evangelical leaders to respond to the Calls to Action in Section II B 6 of The Cape Town Commitment (‘Christ’s Peace for His Suffering Creation’).”
This appointment comes in advance of an October Lausanne Global Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel in Jamaica. The Lausanne Global Consultation, held in collaboration with the World Evangelical Alliance, will bring together 50 global leaders to discuss the environment in the context of Lausanne’s vision of “the whole church, taking the whole gospel to the whole world.” Consultation participants – scientists, practitioners and theologians – will explore the implications of creation care as a gospel issue. Ed says together they will seek ways to help the Body of Christ respond biblically and holistically to global and national environmental challenges. The Lausanne Global Consultation on Creation Care and the Gospel is supported by ACTS, A Rocha International, Care of Creation, Tearfund, and World Vision International. Attendance at the Consultation is by invitation only.
Please consult Lausanne’s website (lausanne.org) to learn more about this Global Consultation. The website will make available videos and photos during the Consultation, and provide information regarding the release of Creation Care resource materials and the publication of a book that reflects the thinking and outcomes of the Consultation.
BACKGROUND
Lausanne is a global Movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. It grew out of the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization convened in Lausanne, Switzerland by Rev. Billy Graham and Bishop Jack Dain. The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (October 2010) in Cape Town, South Africa brought together 4000 Christian leaders, representing 198 countries. The resulting Cape Town Commitment (lausanne.org/ctcommitment) serves as the blueprint for the Movement’s activities.
Lausanne is convening four to five Consultations each year around the issues articulated in The Cape Town Commitment. The most recent one was the Lausanne Consultation on Global Theological Education in Boston. Others will include the Lausanne Agenda Setting Consultation on Islam, and the Lausanne Advisory Consultation on Media and the Gospel (Norway). For more information, please go to lausanne.org.
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For interviews or more information contact Naomi Frizzell, Lausanne Movement Chief Communications Officer,
at [email protected] or +1.904.262.5202.